Xia Qingtian, just as recorded in the资料 she received, was meticulous and resourceful.
She understood the situation and knew when to advance and when to retreat.
Within a mere two days, she had gained the trust of the Yue family and secured the mine, a symbol of wealth and infinite possibilities.
It was not unjust that Qin Mei and Song Qi died by her hand.
If Xia Qingtian were a wise person who knew how to assess the situation and choose the right path, understanding the saying 'a good bird chooses its tree to perch on'.
Then she and Xia Qingtian would become very good friends.
Otherwise…
Yu Zixuan looked at Yue Chengfeng, who was holding a coconut crisp cookie and feeding it to her.
Meeting Yue Chengfeng's gaze, Yu Zixuan smiled and whispered in her heart: Qingtian, don't be my adversary.
She no longer wanted to make the one she loved unhappy.
She didn't want to.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian had no recollection of how she ended up by the artificial lake in the corridor.
By the time she came to her senses, she was already by the scenic rock where Yue Chengzhong had previously fished.
The shimmering lake surface made her heart race.
"Are you going to throw yourself into the lake?" a familiar male voice sounded from behind Xia Qingtian.
"If I were to throw myself into the lake, I'd definitely drag you along," Xia Qingtian recognized the voice and replied irritably.
"Then when they pull us out, will they assume… we were eloping in death?"
"Shut up," Xia Qingtian said after taking a deep breath. "I'm just… a little confused."
"Tell me about it?" The person behind Xia Qingtian stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. "Don't forget, we're on the same boat now."
"There's someone I really like, and my family likes her very much too," Xia Qingtian said. "But, I know she might do something that will make me very… desperate in the future."
"How do you know? That's something that will happen later, isn't it?"
"I… just know." Xia Qingtian turned her head to look at the person beside her. "Gu Yaoyang, tell me, what should I do?"
"You cannot judge a person's guilt based on something that hasn't happened," Gu Yaoyang said, looking at Xia Qingtian. "The future is mutable. You can't change the past, but you can change the future. If you don't like that desperate future, then change it."
"Relationships between people are very peculiar. Have you heard of the butterfly effect?" Gu Yaoyang asked. "Perhaps a glance or a smile from you now could change someone's entire life."
"So, are you telling me that my current dislike and distance from her would be unfair?" Xia Qingtian asked. "If I re-examine this person, or re-examine this relationship, the desperate event won't happen?"
Xia Qingtian listened to Gu Yaoyang's words and thought carefully.
In her past life, she had never met Yu Zixuan, nor had she attended this birthday banquet of the Yue family patriarch. To Yu Zixuan, she was a stranger.
A stranger who occupied the interests of Yue's Jewelry.
Although Yu Zixuan's words at that time were cold and heartless, they were based on the foundation that the two of them had never met.
This life was different. She came to attend her maternal grandfather's birthday banquet and also met Yu Zixuan.
They had gotten along quite well today. If a similar situation arose again, perhaps everything would be different.
Then she really should view Yu Zixuan with a more objective perspective.
"Yes, if you are willing to re-examine me, you will find that I am not only an excellent business partner but also a very easy-to-get-along-with person," Gu Yaoyang said, nodding.
"What does that have to do with you?" Xia Qingtian’s mouth twitched, and she gave Gu Yaoyang a glare.
"The person you are talking about, is it not me?" Gu Yaoyang asked hesitantly. "The one you have a good impression of, like very much, and your family also likes very much, is it not me?"
"Of course not you!" Xia Qingtian said irritably. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm talking about my maternal uncle's fiancée!"
"Yu Zixuan?" Gu Yaoyang was taken aback, and his tone immediately shifted to the mode of 'Mr. Gu'. "If it's her, then continue with your prejudice. She is not a simple character."
"What?" Xia Qingtian didn't react immediately.
"Do you remember Yu Linwan?" Mr. Gu asked.
"Your old flame?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"…" Mr. Gu's gaze deepened slightly.
"Sorry, it was just a joke." Xia Qingtian met Mr. Gu's gaze and shrugged. "Ms. Yu, the CEO of Yuanqing Entertainment. I remember her."
"Yu Linwan is the daughter who was mistakenly swapped by the Yu family. The process need not be elaborated. Later, when the Yu family discovered the mistake, they recognized their true daughter, Yu Zixuan." Mr. Gu said, "I don't know much about Yu Zixuan's original family and life, but this matter was a huge blow to Yu Linwan."
"I can understand that," Xia Qingtian nodded. To have been the Yu family's daughter for so many years, and then to be told that she was a false daughter and had been usurping someone else's life, was indeed difficult to accept.
"When the Yu family went to welcome the true daughter, the meeting was scheduled at a five-star hotel in Kyoto.
That hotel was originally booked by the Gu family to hold my engagement ceremony with Yu Linwan.
On that day, the hotel was booked for decorations and arrangements for the engagement the next day.
That night, the hotel caught fire. The engagement banquet was canceled, I fell into a coma, and so did the matriarch of the Yu family.
Three months later, I woke up. Yu Linwan married my cousin, and Yu Zixuan was recognized by the Yu family. Within those three months, she gained absolute control over the Yu family."
"She gained absolute control of the Yu family in just three months?" Xia Qingtian was somewhat surprised. "Then she is indeed very capable."
"At that time, the Yu family encountered some trouble, and Yu Zixuan resolved it through her own network. There's also something else," Mr. Gu said. "The room that was most severely affected by the fire was Yu Zixuan's room.
According to her, she was chatting with her biological mother in the matriarch of the Yu family's room at the time, so she narrowly escaped. The matriarch of the Yu family, due to her advanced age and pushing Yu Zixuan out first, fell into a coma and has not woken up since."
"So, it really is..." Xia Qingtian also felt that the whole incident had many suspicious points. "Did the Yu family say anything?"
"No, because the Yu family said nothing, the matter was dropped," Mr. Gu said.
"And you?" Xia Qingtian looked at Mr. Gu.
"Me? What?" Mr. Gu didn't understand Xia Qingtian's question for a moment.
"You were also a victim of that fire. You were in a coma for three full months, and when you woke up, your fiancée was already married to someone else. Didn't anyone ask you about it?" Xia Qingtian asked, looking at Mr. Gu.
Mr. Gu gazed into Xia Qingtian's eyes, and after a long while, he slowly shook his head. "No."